The rental sector needs improving - here are my five suggestions

According to the research, the proportion of households renting privately is rising, from a pre-credit crunch 11.7% in 2005/6 to 15.6% in 2009/2010. Back in 1989, when the Housing Act had just de-regulated the sector (an attempt to encourage some life back into it) the figure was closer to 7%. Both owner-occupation and social renting have, meanwhile, been declining as a proportion since 2003.

Private landlords have been getting their environmental and ethical act together, too. Poor quality housing, as a percentage of the private rented sector, has been falling, and landlords have been taking energy efficiency more seriously than owner-occupiers, improving performance since 2008 at a faster pace.

Now, with an unyielding mortgage market and uncertain employment outlook conspiring to kill property sales, and another Government that doesn’t appear to be making social housing much of a priority, the growth of private letting looks like a trend that will continue. Read More: